How to improve your general meeting with professional, experienced lawyers at your side

If in doubt, you should know that even if legal assistance is an expense, it is often time-consuming to deal with the task yourself, and it is far more expensive and difficult to correct mistakes afterwards if the general meeting has not been correctly convened in the first place.

Another challenge is the number of rules, requirements, and time limits to be duly and correctly observed, e.g. when you convene and conduct the actual general meeting, when you take minutes, when you organize votes and when you report, when you file for registration with the Danish Business Authority, and especially if you must comply with separate requirements in the articles of association.

If you miss something, it may imply that decisions, votes, or resolutions passed at the general meeting are declared invalid – also with retrospective effect. And indeed, it may have serious consequences for your company if resolutions of important motions are suddenly rendered invalid.

Advantages of being assisted by HjulmandKaptain at your general meeting

HjulmandKaptain is your guarantee for a professional conduct of the general meeting. This means that legislation, time limits, and articles of association are correctly and duly observed, which is always essential.

However, especially if there is a risk of conflict, or if agendas contain complex issues, you will gain a lot by having a lawyer at your side e.g. as the chairman of the meeting. We are used to the situation, we know the rules, the law, and the articles of associations, and as an outsider, we are independent. In that way, you may often prevent conflicts from arising between members, representatives, or owners, which applies even to companies with few owners.

Further, the meeting, the tone, and the result may be positively affected by a professional and competent conduct of your general meeting.

Ways in which an experienced lawyer can improve your general meeting

HjulmandKaptain’s lawyers have professional experience in the conduct of general meetings. Several of our lawyers already act as chairmen and advisers at general meetings in small and medium-sized companies as well as major stock-listed companies.

For instance, we can assist you with the following: 

• Acting as chairman or adviser (legal counsel)
• Ensuring that the general meeting observes all legal rules and requirements – that is the only way in which you can ensure validity of resolutions, votes, and decisions
• Drafting of notices convening general meetings and ensuring that these are accurate and sent in due time
• Ensuring that motions at general meetings are properly drawn up and valid
• Drafting of articles of associations and specific amendments to the individual articles, ensuring that the wording thereof is correct and legally valid

• Drafting of minutes, ensuring that all rules and formalities are complied with
• Applying for registration of resolutions passed at the general meeting – which is particularly important in the case of compulsory registration with the Business Authority

Opt for the best solution for your general meeting

You may choose between several different solutions when we assist you with your general meeting: We can participate in the actual general meeting as either the chairman or the adviser (legal counsel), we can assist you before and after the general meeting, or we can do both.

Below, you can see the options and advantages:

1. We can participate in the actual general meeting as adviser or chairman.
   
   The advantage is our professional experience as specialists in conducting general meetings as we are involved in such matters every day and several of our lawyers have taken the relevant courses. Thus, we know the assignment, the expectation, and the legislation, and we are used to assuming the professional role as chairman or advising legal counsel e.g. on behalf of a shareholder.
   
   
2. We can assist you over and above the general meeting, arranging for all documents and ensuring that the notice of the meeting, registration with authorities, requirements and formal rules, proxies, etc. are compliant, whether it is an ordinary general meeting or a non-physical general meeting. 
   
   The advantage is that we ensure compliance of the applicable rules according to the articles of association and the company law, including e.g. all formal requirements of notices of general meetings, drafting of motions, and subsequent applications for registration, etc.
   
   
3. We can assume both roles for you, preparing the general meeting, including the notice and the minutes thereof etc. as well as subsequent applications for registration, at the same time as acting as either adviser og chairman at the actual general meeting.
   
   The advantage is that you have the same legal advisers throughout the entire process, and that we can obtain a thorough knowledge of all details, enabling us to advise you more efficiently and at the same time ensuring that the legislation is duly observed in all respects both before, during, and after the general meeting.

Will your general meeting be in a better position with the assistance of a lawyer from HjulmandKaptain?

We are experienced specialists when it comes to general meetings and the duties to be attended to by your general meeting – whether it concerns a small, medium-sized, large, or stock-listed company or a voluntary association.

Every single day, we render professional legal advice to general meetings all over the country, so you will benefit from our long-term experience and knowledge when we assist your general meeting.

Thus, we are ready to assist you. Please feel free to contact us for an introductory, non-committal talk about your options with HjulmandKaptain.